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Vancouver’s #1 Caterer since 1999.

MEET THE CLIENT

Emelle’s Catering has been catering throughout the Lower Mainland of BC for 20 years, with humble service that puts client needs and wants ahead of all else. With good old-fashioned hospitality, inclusivity, and sustainability at the core of the business, Emelle’s has made a large impact on their community over two decades.

They serve corporate clients (conferences, galas, meeting drop-offs) and personal event clients (weddings, birthdays, anniversaries). They also have a café in Vancouver, serving breakfast and lunch daily.

The business has been built upon relationships, both with clients and within the tight-knit team. By focusing on the basics like treating their staff right and being an inclusive employer, giving clients highly-custom and personal menus, and making all food with fresh local and sustainably-sourced ingredients, Emelle’s has become a fixture in the Vancouver catering industry, earning loyalty from clients, venues, and large events throughout the city.

Emelle’s venue partners include Science World, the Vancouver Rowing Club, the Law Courts Inn, and more.

 

Projects Completed:

Integrated 20-Year Anniversary Campaign

  • Brand Discovery
  • Campaign + Communication Strategy
  • Video Production Management
  • Interactive Art Display
  • Press + Influencer Outreach
  • Print Advertising Design
  • Digital Advertising Design + Management (Google, Facebook, YouTube)
  • Social Media Content Strategy, Design, and Management
  • Blog Content Creation
  • Website Design Update

Integrated 20-Year Anniversary Campaign

The Challenge

Emelle’s had grown steadily through relationships and referrals. However, they noticed a slow-down in sales directly correlated to reduced networking. Beyond networking, Emelle’s had no formal marketing plan or strategy. It was a challenge for the brand to find their voice in an industry where clients are looking for what’s new, hot and trendy. Marketing efforts were not focused or consistent.

It was clear that developing brand awareness through advertising and promotion was essential in order to sustain the business and create a platform for additional growth.

Emelle’s recognized an opportunity to celebrate and leverage an important milestone for their company – 20 years of catering success – to revitalize the brand and launch an impactful campaign. They asked us to develop a 20-year anniversary campaign that celebrates the magic of Emelle’s in a way that makes long-standing clients feel connected and makes a new audience take notice.

CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES
  • Leverage 20 years of credibility and establish Emelle’s as a strong, local brand
  • Make a splash – Raise brand awareness
  • Position Emelle’s as Vancouver’s caterer, communicating their importance and meaningful history in the local community
  • Refresh the brand visuals and communication style
  • Attract new business through marketing channels aside from personal networking and relationship building
AUDIENCE

Primary Audiences

  1. Corporate Event Organizers – Professional Event Planners, HR, Office Managers, Marketing Professionals etc.
  2. Personal Event Organizers – Friends/Family organizing an event for someone they know

 

Insights + Barriers:

  • They need a catering company that will alleviate the stress of planning and can ensure all aspects of the event (guidance, planning, guest experience, food, sustainability, logistics) leaving them with the tasks of enjoying the event or entertaining guests
  • All catering companies look the same to them, so they rely on referrals and other sources that make a company appear credible/reliable
  • The market is highly saturated with well-established competitors
OUR STRATEGY AND APPROACH

To celebrate Emelle’s 20-year anniversary, we produced an integrated campaign that celebrated their clients, partners, and team, and showcased the power of celebration in an effort to inspire a new audience to trust life’s most important celebrations to Emelle’s.

We captured 20 stories from 20 employees, clients, and partners that illustrated 20 years of celebration and connections between Emelle’s and the Vancouver community. The common thread between the stories is the profound impact of celebration, coming together to mark time and to commemorate life’s milestones. The primary call to action was “What will you celebrate this year?”

Our strategy incorporated a variety of marketing tactics across multiple mediums to launch the anniversary with a splash. We leveraged credibility from client testimonials and shared the story of Emelle’s through the community of people who have been on this 20-year journey with them.

Key Messages

  • Emelle’s is Vancouver’s caterer
  • Emelle’s approach to catering: Genuine care & hospitality
  • Emelle’s service distinctions/range: corporate personal, small and large events, off-site catering, customizable menus etc.
EXECUTION

Campaign Theme

“In our 20th year, we celebrate the power of celebration.”

  • Produced a feature film composed of 20 video interviews, premiered at client’s anniversary party, and distributed as brand content and cut down into targeted advertisements across various online channels
  • Wrote 20 editorial-style articles, distributed through media outlets, client blog, and displayed in an in-café gallery wall
  • Commissioned an interactive art display of the Vancouver map for the café, that features illustrations of Emelle’s clients, team, and partners, and iconic Vancouver landmarks — infusing the brand into their retail space
  • Hosted a quintessential Emelle’s event at their West side kitchen for clients, team, partners, and local food bloggers and influencers
20th Anniversary Party (Launch Party)

Past clients, team members, venue partners, and friends were invited to celebrate 20 years of Emelle’s at their cafe. This was a moment to enjoy, but it also gave Emelle’s the opportunity to showcase their service and food to plus ones, and local food bloggers and influencers.

Feature Film + Cut Downs

A Feature Film composed of 20 interviews with past clients, team members, and venue partners was also showcased at the party. The interviewees shared their stories and experiences of what it’s like to work with Emelle’s and the impact that Emelle’s has made on their lives. This feature film was then cut down into shorter segments and distributed across various online channels as organic content and targeted ads.

Editorial-Style Articles

Content from the interviews was used as inspiration for 20 editorial-style articles. They are permanently displayed in the Emelle’s Café, featured on the Emelle’s blog, and are being shared organically through Instagram and Facebook.

Interactive Art Display

We commissioned award-winning Vancouver artist, Carson Ting, to illustrate community connection in his intricate mural, now showcased at the Emelle’s Westside Kitchen. Carson illustrated a custom map of Vancouver, featuring a handful of iconic Vancouver landmarks, caricatures of people doing activities like drinking wine and walking down Davie Street, and even hidden easter eggs that are meaningful to the story of Emelle’s Catering.

RESULTS

Throughout the campaign, we drove customers to the Emelle’s website to inquire about customizing the perfect menu for their next celebration.

The primary video ad received over 7,000 video views in first month of launch.

WHAT OUR CLIENT HAS TO SAY

“Thank you for putting into words what Nicole & I are too shy to say. After 20 years of “Food in Mouth Marketing” only, we knew we had to speed up to the pace that the world works in order to get our message across to our existing and prospective clients. REX did, in fact, discover our brand and what’s more, has infused excitement and enthusiasm in our delivery.

I will no longer hesitate to invest in marketing as the results we have seen already in the short time your campaign has started are far surpassing our expectations. Your team is phenomenal, and we felt their dedication to our team from the initial meeting.”

 

Mary Lee Newnham, CEO + Executive Chef of Emelle’s Catering

 

“20 years, what an accomplishment; however, at the same time, we were noticing that we weren’t growing at the same pace. Catering is a competitive industry, often driven by ‘the flavour of the month’. We knew that 20 years would hold us in good stead and that it was the perfect time to make an impact. We also knew that this was a hat, of the many we always wore ourselves, that we needed to share with experts. A new, outside perspective, that could offer a different approach.

What we ended up achieving, was magical! It wasn’t a bunch of meaningless sales messages (which we can’t stand), it was instead a representation of how we feel every day. The heart of our team, our clients & the community. A concept we never would have come up with on our own but was there all along.”

 

Nicole Burke, Director of Sales at Emelle’s Catering